Plot
A recounting of the chaotic events that occurred at Dallas' Parkland Hospital on the day U.S. President John F. Kennedy was assassinated.
Release Year: 2013
Rating: 5.8/10 (250 voted)
Director:Peter Landesman
Storyline
Recounting the chaotic events that occurred in Dallas, Texas on November 22, 1963, Parkland weaves together the perspectives of a handful of ordinary individuals suddenly thrust into extraordinary circumstances: the young doctors and nurses at Parkland Hospital; Dallas' chief of the Secret Service; an unwitting cameraman who captured what became the most watched and examined film in history; the FBI agents who nearly had the gunman within their grasp; the brother of Lee Harvey Oswald, left to deal with his shattered family; and JFK's security team, witnesses to both the president's death and Vice President Lyndon Johnson's rise to power over a nation whose innocence was forever altered.
I am a Kennedy historian, have been since I was about 13. I live for
any films (dramatizations or documentaries) about the Kennedy dynasty
or Assassination. When I first heard about Parkland, my expectations
immediately were astronomical. I was so thrilled and could not wait to
see it. So, add to that astronomical excitement when I received a
ticket to the North American premier at the Toronto International Film
Festival. My reason for telling all this was perhaps when the film
comes out on DVD/Blu-Ray I will watch it again and come back to my
review. It was hard to truly analyze this film amidst my excitement. I
do agree with many professional critics that creator/writer/director
Peter Landesman bit off more than he could chew. This is a huge story
and a lot going on and he covers more than he should. Despite the film
being called "Parkland" it spends as much time focusing on other events
outside the hospital after the assassination. It would have made far
more sense to stay inside the hospital and show us a dramatization of
these people (similar to what Emilio Estevez's Bobby did) rather than
covering so much all over the place. I do give him kudos for his
historical accuracy and covering an angle of the assassination that I
am fairly certain has never been on film before.
Despite there being some significant names attached to the film, there
was literally no star. Everyone shared a few minutes, a few scenes, and
a few lines. Perhaps that made it harder to become emotionally invested
in these characters. I have never been a "hater" of Zac Efron but I've
never really been a fan either. He won me over in this film for two
reasons. 1. At the premier of the film he was so incredibly great with
his fans and the crowd. He worked that crowd and got to every person he
possibly could. 2. His performance (in particular the scene at the
beginning of the film when he is first called in to work on Kennedy) is
pretty close to the best in the entire movie. He shows some incredible
emotion and strength and proves he has some serious acting chops.
Despite being listed second in the cast Tom Welling's role was
incredibly small. I am pretty sure he had three lines in the whole film
so sadly I can't say good or bad to his performance because it was
simply unnoticeable (and I am a huge fan of his from Smallville days.)
Paul Giamatti is good in his role as Zapruder. I expected him to be
great because Giamatti is a great actor and he certainly looks the role
but he just doesn't seem to really sink into it. Marcia Gay Harden is
decent in her role but it is a painfully small role which was
surprising for her. She is basically a supporting cameo to the whole
story. Ron Livingston gives a solid performance as James Hosty but I
desperately wanted to see more from him and more from the character as
well. Same for Billy Bob Thorton who gives a good performance but in so
few scenes. The person who seems to get the most screen time is James
Badge Dale who plays Robert Oswald. He is also very good in the role
but the script just doesn't seem to give any of these great actors
enough to really get into their characters. Many of these real life
people could almost support their own films so to see their characters
rushed is unfortunate. Jeremy Strong is a good Oswald, he certainly
looks the part but his one major scene opposite Badge Dale isn't enough
to show off his ability.
This type of story is simply too grand and complex in scale to cram
into an hour and a half without it feeling rushed. I wanted to become
emotionally invested in these characters and I struggled to do that. I
also noticed that I felt like the rest of the audience was getting a
little restless around the halfway mark. It laid everything out in
point form and didn't beat around the bush but it missed the
dramatization of the situation and forgot to make you feel like you
were there rather than receiving a history lesson. It isn't a total
loss, there are some really good scenes (Kennedy first arriving at
Parkland, Oswald's burial was a particularly strong scene.) I thought
the scenes of Zapruder and others seeing the film for the first time
would be powerful but honestly...their reactions felt forced. I sort of
understand the tepid reviews this is receiving. It is worth seeing but
falls short of being a great historical film. Peter Landesman simply
doesn't have the directing experience to make this work. I am sure he
is a brilliant man but his directing lacks experience. His previous
work that I have seen (Trade-See my review) could have been an amazing,
stunning film but due to his direction it missed some crucial things
and same could be said for this. Yes, my expectations were high but it
ended up only delivering on the most basic level. 7/10
***Side note--I attended the North American Premier at the Toronto
International Film Festival on Friday September 6th/2013. I had the
opportunity to shake hands and speak briefly with Tom Welling. I am not
stating this to brag but rather more for my own benefit so when I look
back on this review I can fondly remember my first premier! Thanks
everyone who read my reviews!!***
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